--- title: "2025 Volvo XC90: New Look, Big Updates Make This Already Great SUV Even Better" description: "The [Volvo]() [XC90]() has stood as arguably the safest, classiest, and best-equipped offering in the super-competitive segment of luxury SUVs for a decade. And while some German rivals have endured several redesigns, Volvo has focused on small tweaks throughout the…" date: "2024-09-04" modified: "2024-09-04" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/2025-volvo-xc90-new-look-big-updates-make-this-already-great-suv-even-better" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Volvo News" tags: - "suv/crossover" - "Volvo" - "xc90" --- # 2025 Volvo XC90: New Look, Big Updates Make This Already Great SUV Even Better ![]() *\Jerry Perez\* The [Volvo]() [XC90]() has stood as arguably the safest, classiest, and best-equipped offering in the super-competitive segment of luxury SUVs for a decade. And while some German rivals have endured several redesigns, Volvo has focused on small tweaks throughout the years. For the 2025 Volvo XC90, however, the improvements aren't small—though you still gotta look closely. The [Volvo]() [XC90]() has stood as arguably the safest, classiest, and[ best-equipped offering]() in the super-competitive segment for a decade. And while some German rivals have endured several redesigns, Volvo has focused on small tweaks throughout the years. For the 2025 Volvo XC90, however, the improvements aren't small—though you still gotta look closely. The Swedish automaker pulled the wraps off its newest hybrid flagship Wednesday morning, confirming its commitment to developing and selling hybrid SUVs alongside its new EVs in the coming years. Both the XC90 and its electric counterpart, the [EX90](), will be headed to customers' homes in the first quarter of 2025. With a starting of $59,745 for the base model, it's slightly less than $2,000 more than the one it replaces. ![]() ![]() *Volvo* ![]() The most noticeable update in this round of improvements is certainly the exterior design. A fresh look likens the XC90 to the EX90, with the exterior looking smoother, a bit rounder, and more "digital" without going full EV-look. It retains that stately presence that the XC90 has always had, especially when dressed in black. Greatly contributing to its new persona is a modern take on the Thor's Hammer headlights design—slimmer, better defined. The rest of the front end is also new, with an intricate new grille acting as the focal point of the SUV's face. While its predecessor featured all vertical slats all the way across, the new grille has opposed slanted blinds starting from each side, which form a V of sorts at the Volvo badge. It's an artsy design that looks quite handsome in person. Coming around the driver's side three-quarter panel you'll notice the PHEV charging door, which is now more elongated than the previous round one. The wheel design is also new, and you'll notice new taillights with updated light signatures when you come around the back. Volvo is known for its comfortable, ergonomic, and of course, safe cabins, and the 2025 model picks up where the previous one left off. At a glance, the cabin looks nearly identical, but look again and you'll notice some big changes. For starters, the dashboard is taller and more horizontal. The 11.2-inch infotainment touchscreen now has a free-standing, floating look to it, compared to receding into the dash like before. The transmission tunnel has been tweaked to offer new storage organization solutions, and more textured, soft-touch materials have been employed throughout. ![]() ![]() ![]() U.S.-bound models will offer six- and seven-passenger seating configurations, and both first and second rows offer heating capabilities. Only the front offers ventilation, and it's disappointing to see the third row get left behind. With more and more luxury three-rows offering heating in the third row, it would've been a great feature to combat the competition. Other less noticeable but important interior updates include a new air-purification system, laminated windows, and acoustic foam-filled A and B pillars to reduce road noise. Also making its debut in the new XC90 is the brand's new operating system, which it refers to as the "new-generation user experience." Powered by Google, Volvo promises an easier and more enjoyable way to navigate the car's many features, with the main focus being reducing the number of steps it takes to get to the features most commonly used. The new screen also sees an increase of 21% in pixel density, making it crisper than ever. While the new OS was created for the EX90, EX30, and new XC90, there is good news for more than 2 million Volvo customers out there. If you own a 2020 or newer model, you'll be able to download this at no cost sometime in 2025 via an over-the-air update. ![]() ![]() ![]() Three engine choices will be offered for the new, technically 2025.5-model-year XC90: B5, B6, and T8. All trims offer all-wheel drive as standard. In B5 trim, the hybrid four-cylinder engine puts out 247 hp. The B6 features a turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder hybrid, which produces 295 hp. The range-topping, plug-in hybrid T8 carries over the inline-four but is turbocharged and features e-boost. It offers up to 32 miles of pure electric driving. Overall, these updates amount to a whole refined SUV that's bound to improve the already-great XC90 experience. Volvo expects to sell this hybrid SUV alongside its EVs well into the future, outlining in the press release that these "fundamental changes ensure it stays at the top of its game for the coming years." *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()